Treatment of textile and other materials



Patented Oct. 30, 1934 PATENT OFFICE TREATDIENT F TEXTILE AND OTHERMATERIALS Henry Dreyfus, London, and William Alexander Dickie ofDelaware and Percy Frederick Combe Sowter, Spon'don, near Derby,Celanese Corporation of England, assignors to America, a corporation NoDrawing. Original application August 15, 1930, Serial No. 475,630.Divided and this application April 4, 1932, Serial N 0. 603,220. In

Great Britain August 27, 1929 8 Claims.

This invention relates to the sizing or like treatment of filaments,threads, yarns, fabrics and other textile materials.

In U. S. application S. No. 475,630 filed th 0 August, 1930, of whichthis is a divisional application, there is described a process forsizing textile materials with carboxylic esters of cellulose containingester radicles having as substituents groupings imparting solubility inaqueous liquids to the cellulose esters.

According to the present invention the sizing or like treatment offilaments, threads, yarns, fabrics or other textile or like materials isaccomplished by a process comprising the application of water-solublecellulose ethers containing ether radicles having substituent groupsimparting water-solubility. As examples of such substituents particularmention may be made of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. It has been foundthat textile materials sized in this manner, for example warp threads,resist very well such mechanical treatment as is experienced, forinstance, in weaving, and that the size can readily be removed by a mildscouringprocess and does not interfere with the subsequent dyeing of thematerials.

Cellulose ethers capable of solution in water may be obtained by directetherification of cellulose under suitable conditions. For instancecellulose may be etherified so as to contain residues of glycols orother polyhydric alcohols, for example in the manner described in U. S.Patent No. 1,502,379 and U. S. application S. No. 162,214 filed January19th, 1927, or cellulose may be etherified I with carboxy-alkyl groups,for example alkali cellulose may be treated with chloroacetic acid so asto produce cellulose derivatives containing 1 to 2 or morecarboxymethylether groups per CsHioOs molecule. It will be appreciatedthat the cellulose ether molecules should contain a sufiicientproportion of hydroxyl or carboxyl groups or other suitable groups toimpart watersolubility thereto.

Again if desired there may be employed cellulose ethers which owewater-solubility not only to the presence of suitable groups but also tothe cellulose content being more or less degraded. Thus a celluloseether containing free carboxyl or hydroxyl groups may be degraded orripened to the desired degree of solubility, or a degraded cellulose,obtained for instance by degrading cellulose with alkalis or acids, may.be etherified by means of radicles containing carboxylic or hydroxygroups.

In general it is found that the most satisfactory results'are obtainedby sizing with aqueous solutions of the cellulose ethers which yieldfilms on evaporating the aqueous media.

Solutions of the cellulose ethers may be employed for the sizing ofyarns, filaments, threads, fabrics or other textile materials in anyconvenient manner. For example, the yarns or the like may be treated inhank form with the solutions, or they may be passedcontinuously throughthe solutions and subsequently subjected to a drying operation. Oneapplication of the new process is to the sizing of artificial filaments,yarns or the like continuously with their production. For example asolution of cellulose acetate in acetone may be spun into an evaporativeatmosphere and the sizing solution applied continuously to the filamentsas they leave the spinning apparatus and prior to their being wound ortwisted and wound (see U. S. Patent No. 1,506,052).

The new process of sizing may be applied to textile materials made ofany desired filaments or fibres whether natural or artificial. The invention is however of particular value in the sizing of yarns or threadsof artificial filaments for example filaments of regenerated cellulose,as produced for instance by the viscose or cuprammonium process, orfilaments of organic derivatives of cellulose, e. g. cellulose acetate,formate or other ester of cellulose or methyl, ethyl or benzyl celluloseor other ether of cellulose.

As mentioned previously the sizes applied to textile materials inaccordance with the invention, may, if desired, readily be removed onaccount of their solubility in water. For example removal may beefiected by securing, e. g. in an aqueous soap solution. In some cases,removal may be assisted by alkalis. Very small concentrations of alkalimay have a beneficial action in the removal of the size, a greatadvantage in the treatment of materials made of or containing celluloseesters or other materials liable to damage by strongly alkalinesolutions.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Process of sizing filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and othertextile materials containing an organic derivative of cellulose, whichcomprises applying thereto water-soluble ethers of cellulose containingether radicles having as substituents at least one radicle selected fromthe group consisting-of carboxyl and hydroxyl radicles.

2. Process of sizing filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and othertextile materials containing a carboxylic ester of cellulose, whichcomprises applying thereto water-soluble ethers of cellulose containingether radicles having carboxyl groups as substituents.

3. Process of sizing filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and othertextile materials containing cellulose acetate,,which comprises applyingthereto water-soluble cellulose ethers containing ether radicles havinghydroxyl groups as substituents.

4. Process of sizing filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and othertextile materials containing cellulose acetate, which comprises applyingthereto water-soluble ethers of cellulose containing ether radicleshaving carboxyl groups as substituents.

5. Process of sizing filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and othertextile materials containing cellulose acetate, which comprises applyingthereto water-soluble ethers of cellulose containing carboxy methylgroups.

6. Filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and other textile materialscontaining an organic derivative of cellulose, sized with water-solublecellulose ethers containing ether radicles having as substituents atleast one radicle selected from the group consisting of carboxyl andhydroxyl radicles.

'7. Filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and other textile materialscontaining cellulose acetate, sized with water-soluble cellulose etherscontaining ether radicles having carboxyl groups as substituents.

8. Filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and other textile materialscontaining cellulose acetate, sized with water-soluble cellulose etherscontaining carboxy methyl groups.

HENRY DREYFUS. WILLIAM ALEXANDER DICKIE. PERCY FREDERICK COMBE SOWTER.

